Hummus

Keep a can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), a jar of tahini, and some lemon juice on hand, and you can always whip up a batch of hummus.

October 18, 2009, 2:29 p.m.

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Hummus

Ingredients

1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans

3 tablespoonssesame tahini

2 clovesgarlic, peeled

1 teaspoonkosher salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoonpaprika, sweet or hot

1/4 cuplemon juice, or to taste

Time estimates

Prep time: 10 min

Total time: 10 min

Directions

Drain the beans, saving the broth.

Combine with the remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend into a smooth paste, thinning with as much of the bean broth as needed to make a thick but scoopable paste. Let stand for at least an hour for the flavors to blend, and check the seasoning before serving.

Use as a dip with pita or romaine leaves.

Yield

Makes 2 cups

Good to know

Keep a can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), a jar of tahini, and some lemon juice on hand and you can always whip up a batch of hummus. If your friends and family are like mine, it will always be one of the first things to disappear.

This menu combines some of the favorite dishes of the lands of the eastern end of the Mediterranean. While religion prevents many residents of the region from drinking beer, their cuisines still provide lots of beer-friendly foods; not surprising, since this is where humans first cultivated grains thousands of years ago, and first converted them into something we would recognize as beer.